Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Book Review: Healing is a Choice by Stephen Arterburn

This edition of Healing is a Choice is a revised and updated version of the book previously written by Stephen Arterburn with a workbook included. It focuses on ten decisions to make to bring healing into your life and ten lies that can stop you from making those decisions for healing. There are journal activities and prayers at the end of each of the first ten chapters, and an important challenge in the last chapter. It also encourages people to connect to a healing community in Christ’s body so they can heal from any brokenness that they are experiencing with others instead of trying to heal by themselves.

This book has been such an eye-opener for me. Jesus' example of healing that was shared in the book from John 5 was the foundation of this book for me; Jesus made sure that the sick man wanted to be healed before He healed him. One of the other important things I learned is that when we decide to try to help other people heal before we have healed it produces a focus on others that is unhealthy, but God might still give you a plan to serve in smaller ways such as putting up posters for a prayer meeting, or working at a check-in desk. I also liked the example that oftentimes God will use the weakest individual and group to complete something very important like He did with Gideon and his tribe Manasseh in Judges 6; God does things such as that so it will show how great His power is and so He can be given all the glory.

I took my time reading this book because the topics seemed important but I wasn’t able to read it slow enough to complete the workbook exercises because of a deadline I had to finish the book. I hope to get to use this book more fully in a group one day and complete the workbook, but in the meantime I am going to start the challenge at the end of the chapter and trust there will be good results because the Lord has already started me on a new path of healing in my life.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”